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Sunday, October 7, 2012

KOREAN MUSIC: Lee Hayi Updates (7)

(UPDATE) Today (10/9/2012), Epik High's new digital single Chupda (춥다, "Cold") was released. (Music: Choi Pilkang & Tablo/Lyrics: Tablo & Mithra Jin/Arrangement: Choi Pilkang) I really like Hayi's falsetto voice featured on the song; her voice and she just absolutely perfect this song. And here's the song with English subtitles:

ENGLISH LYRICS: Epik High "Cold" (It's Cold)

Though spring comes

and makes the flowers bloom,

then summer comes

and makes the memories melt down,

four seasons are never meant to fit me

'cause I’m a cold guy.

I'm harsh like the piercing cold of winter,

like the chilling winds as you well know.

A cold heart is all I have;

my heart is like the winter sea.

When you come near me on a boat, you'll know

I’m not an island but an iceberg.

I've lost focus; my eyes are frosted.

Haunted by my cold memories,

I gave out a silent scream (with no uvula).

I was an icy road, nothing left behind but painful scars.

My heart's collapsed like an avalanche.

Dark was the night again when I pulled myself together.

Even when you rise like the sun,

the snow-covered mountain won't melt.

It’s cold in here

even when I hide my hands in my pockets.

It’s too cold
even when I blow breath onto my (frozen) hands.

My heart is so frozen

that it keeps making my lips chapped.

I’m the only one that’s cold

even when my body is wrapped in a blanket.

It’s too cold
even when I'm in someone else’s arms.

'Cause my heart has a hole that can't be filled,

the wind keeps escaping through it.

Spring comes excitedly,

but I stand on the verge of fall.

The memories on pause at winter:

I’ve locked up my warmness

in the chapped skin of my dry heart.

The reminiscences trapped in the frozen river:

They don’t let go of my hands.

Since I knew the chills of separation,

blooming spring has never come again.

Cherry blossoms seem to me like snowflakes.

It’s cold in here.

Beams of sunlight hit me like blizzards.

I’m the only one that’s cold.

Everything I touch gets frozen.

(So) I’m afraid that I might hold your hand.

I fear of making your heart ache and chill

when you come close to me.

It’s cold in here

even when I hide my hands in my pockets.

It’s too cold

even when I blow breath onto my (frozen) hands.

My heart is so frozen

that it keeps making my lips chapped.

I’m the only one that’s cold

even when my body is wrapped in a blanket.

It’s too cold

even when I'm in someone else’s arms.

'Cause my heart has a hole that can't be filled,

the wind keeps escaping through it.

I’m cold as ice. I’m cold as ice.

I’m cold as ice. So cold.

Though spring comes

and makes the flowers bloom,

then summer comes

and makes the memories melt down,

In here, it’s…

It’s cold in here. It’s too cold.

My heart is so frozen

that it keeps making my lips chapped.

I’m the only one that’s cold.

It’s too cold.

'Cause my heart has a hole that can't be filled,

the wind keeps escaping through it.

=============================

Music: Choi Pilkang & Tablo

Lyrics: Tablo & Mithra Jin

Translation: ONSEMIRO

===============

Today (10/7/2012), YGE revealed Epik High's new digital single cover (Chupda (춥다, "Cold")) featuring Lee Hayi. She is also featured on the song. Hayi's sitting among the guys as if she were the Snow Queen and looks really mature for her age.

(Jokingly)..If Update 6 was a piece of notebook paper, we ran out of room along time ago...LOL. I appreciate YG for presenting her as an Ice Queen, until she feels comfortable/confident in her own skin. Well Done. I just don't wanna see her being made into an Elle Girl again. Enough with the eyeliner already!!!...(Love 2NE1, but sometimes it's a bit much)...

Onsemiro, do you know if Hayi is really popular among people in Korea? Especially those who enjoy good music (none of that k-pop idol stuff)? Because If I can remember correctly, Hayi was the only Kpopstar contestant who placed number one on download charts, beating out idols like taetiseo weekly with every cover she sang.

Speaking of Baek Ah Yeon, she was quite impressive in her debut song because I find it showcases her strong vocals. But I don't know why JYP has put JiMin in a dup group! Plus the name is called "15&"...so what happens when she turns 16, 19, 20? I wish he gave the group a name that they can be associated to forever...Anyways, I hope JiMin will have some solo activities in the future because right now, I am not seeing her real potential coming out.

Anonym @ 9:42 AM, All I can say at this point is Hayi has a pretty large fan base, mostly consisting of K-pop Star season one viewers. I think it's now all up to her and her agency to be taken seriously as a musician/artist and expand her fan base.

Bonnie, talking about Epik High + Hayi collaboraion, I think YG truly knows his stuff. And I agree with your thoughts on 15&'s new song - as I already mentioned in the previous comment (Hayi update #6), I don't think the song is helping Jimin show off her own color, strength, and charms.

I agree with u.. but u know watching the live debut performance, I couldn't help but notice how nervous and stiff Jimin looked.

I really think the reason JYP put her in a group after promising to prepare an international debut for her as an artist earlier when he first signed her, is becuz he realized that she was too young to handle the stress of being a solo artist.

people think the kpopstar was hard, but the real music world is much more frightening and competitive than most pple can imagine.

one of the winners of UK's Xfactor once said that the real stress begins after u leave the show, not while ur on the show. u really need to have a thick skin and a professional attitude to survive in the real world.

I also hope that Jimin can get her moment to shine in the future becuz so far she has clearly gotten upstaged by her own partner in the group.

Epik High's "It's Cold" is now up on youtube. (Not the music video, but the music track.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ZP9Fw0X_A

Hayi's genius for delivering emotion straight to your heart is right on target.

My favorite part is where she sings: "spring please come and flowers bloom, summmer please come and memories melt away."

She sets the tone perfectly. I was wondering if she would be belting out some powerful vocals as a featured artist (not that she has to prove that she can). Instead, the piece taps her ability to emotionally connect the words to ears and hearts of the listeners.

As we have seen multiple times through season 1 of kpopstar (although JYP might argue otherwise), Hayi doesn't need to shout to prove her worth as a singer. In "It's Cold" her voice is perfect. Keeping in mind that it's not her song but Epik High's, her voice is modest but for me it was what carried the entire song, emotionally and harmonically.

We have to keep in mind that Hayi had to accommodate to Epik High's style for this song. It is, after all, Epik High's song. I, too, was anticipating her low husky voice, and those runs that she does so well, but I guess (I hope) that will come out in her official debut on October 29! You must be pretty nave if you think this is all YG has in store for Hayi lol

The voice of a Catholic choir boy or girl is what was needed to create the EPIC feeling in this song, and on their MV - "FLY". Hayi's vocal abilities were wasted here. "It's Cold?"....yes, because it's not hot...Waiting for October 29th...counting up until the day, in 1.2.3.4. (I thought i was listening to that song from the 80's,what is it.....BAAH Bah-Bap BAAAAH, Bah Bap-Bap BAAAAH....LOL?)

YG has a thing for very lispy female voices with an irregular amount vibration to them. Parkbom is a perfect example. It's not that I can't tell that it's Hayi singing...i just find myself frustrated while listening to the song, mentally shouting "HAYI when are you going to drag that last note up and down and back up again like you used to so effortlessly?" I can't wait for her debut~ I think Hayi is one of the best female singers in the kpop industry...and she's only 17 yrs old...damn

I don't mind her not doing runs at all. I think sometimes runs can be oversinging.

I just don't think that if I wasn't told it was Hayi singing, that I would fall in love with 'this' voice in this song. If she had sung like that in her audition, would I be attracted to her? Yep I can hear that vibration, but if they just release the song without giving the name, could we tell it was her?

I'm quite sure she won't sing like this for her own song :) So I'm chill.I'll stop whining.

Wahyimo, I totally understand what you mean; but if she had sung just like did in "K-pop Star," it must have made the song quite awkward. And I'm just happy that she showed off her versatility in this song.

One of the things I've been thinking about Hayi, for about the last 10 months or so, is that there seemed to be a noticeable difference in the way she regarded the songs she covered in comparison with other contestants.

The best way I can think of to express it is that her natural attitude was "how can I use my voice to showcase this song and get people to appreciate what's in it?" in contrast to the more typical attitude of "how can I use this song to show-off my vocal skills?"

Of course, the judges and the competitive nature of the audition format forced her too to use songs as platforms to basically focus on demonstrating vocal skills. But I still saw many signs that her natural inclination/desire was to be true to the concept of the song and to use her voice to communicate the full range of emotions that could be drawn out of the song. In other words, she was more about "listen to this song" than she was about "listen to this voice."

I saw that especially in her performance of 미련 (Regrets), which the Judges gave her a hard time over--precisely because she focused on the song rather than using it as a demonstration of how high her voice could go or how much energy she could demonstrate in her singing. The way she sang the last phrase of that song perfectly communicated the feeling of a person exhausted from the regrets that have been replaying over and over in her mind and who was hoping that sleep would finally give her some temporary relief. (I saw BOA getting tears in her eyes at that point, which made her subsequent criticism somewhat inexplicable.)

Anyway, that's a long introduction for the point that I want to make about Hayi's exquisitely understated performance in this Epik High song. As someone commented on youtube, her voice is like a soft snowfall throughout. They obviously had a concept like this in mind when they discussed their collaboration and Hayi communicated the concept perfectly. This shows her versatility as a singer. I don't think she felt any need or desire to use Epik High's song to focus the spotlight on her at the expense of the concept that Epik High wanted to communicate.

Yes, I agree, YG really knows his stuff. I'm so glad that Ha Yi's musical talent will be well taken care of...(hopefully!! lol)

Thank you so much for the translation of the lyrics. It helps me understand a lot better and I can definitely feel a connection to this song...I had some bad experiences myself.

NOW I am just hoping for the MV to come out. I am so looking forward to HaYi's debut song. I just want to support her so much. As an unnie, I would like her to know that she has chosen the right path, for taking the courage to participate in Kpop star and to have done her best in the show. I'm ready to buy the album as a means of support lol.

There's a part right after the "I'm cold as ice" solo, where LHY comes back into the song with the line about spring and flowers and she has another quieter track going at the same time in which she's singing "so cold, so cold, so cold." It's like I'm suddenly transported to an ice cave in the Antarctic seeing a beautiful and sad ice princess singing softly in the cold.

Anonym @11:45 AM, I just love music regardless of the genre even though my personal favorites lean more towards the rock genre. I've just made a list of "Hayi-esque" songs just off the top of my head. (pls know I didn't include the relatively new songs because these songs are already widely known, not because I think they are any less.)

Hi Onsemiro..earlier today I came across this documentary called SEOUL FASHION WEEK on popular english kpop fan forum Hallyu8 that covered a variety of interesting topics including fashion and the effect of politics on it,kpop, idols, sex, and the use of plastic surgery to gain perfection etc

its not a long documentary but I was interested in ur opinion towards its content considering that you are a S. Korean who has been living in the western world for some time, and whether you agree with notion that modern S. Koreans have become attached to the notion of "ultimate flawless perfection" as the reporter called it.

sarah, first of all, I think this documentary (Fashion Week Internationale, FWI) is partly inaccurate and quite disjointed while trying to squeeze too many things into too short of a time frame. For example, the shopping centers open at night are basically for retail purchasers, not ordinary consumers like us. And also, most of the people Charlet Duboc, host of FWI, interviewed and filmed are limited to the "fashion people" who are attuned to fashion and looks: Like the audience of the Seoul Fashion Week or the K-pop stars/K-pop star wannabes who will do probably anything to rise to stardom.

Plus, as we all know, things are quite relative in our world. For example, most Brits are known to have "Austin Powers" teeth because they simply don't care. And most Japanese consider crooked teeth cute, even adorable. On the other hand, most Americans and the increasing number of South Koreans are obsessed with perfect, white teeth. So let's not label one another as unnatural or shallow.

Back to your question, basically, I agree "some" South Koreans have become attached to the notion of "ultimate flawless perfection." As you know, looks matter to some people not only in South Korea but in many countries, like wealthy ladies, politicians, or celebrities including movie stars, TV personalities, or idol stars. For example, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock seem to have already had plastic surgery before making their debut; and Hillary Clinton is also rumored to have had multiple plastic surgery.

But most seriously, when it comes to plastic surgery, if you want to assert that "modern South Koreans" have become attached to the notion of "ultimate flawless perfection," then you have to meet and interview with ordinary modern South Koreans, like the young couple Duboc encountered in front of the underwear shop. Don't you think they look so natural, nothing artificial?

Of course, South Korea is reportedly the country with the world's highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery (LINK) and the increasing number of ordinary South Koreans are having cosmetic surgery, mostly for double eyelids or high nose bridge. Just like the California girls are more likely to get boob jobs and East Coast residents are to get facial plastic surgery. Even though it may seem like everyone in South Korea is having cosmetic surgery, the majority of ordinary South Koreans have extreme makeovers with their bodies, in pursuit of ultimate flawless perfection, as the majority of celebrities do.

So frankly, I'm a little worried about other Asian Hallyu fans' cosmetic surgery tours to South Korea. 'Cause if they do it to look like their idol stars, then they'll have to undergo extreme plastic surgery. Believe it or not, most of the celebrities, with or without plastic surgery, were basically born beautiful - they are entirely different species.

thank you so much for ur explanation..tbh it was very difficult for me to decide on whether this was true or not considering that I have never been to S. Korea before, and the only things I know about it are stuff related to kpop and variety shows. so it was really hard for me to judge its reliability hence why i asked ur opinion on it lol

the problem though is that a lot of young international kpop fans believe in the matters covered by this short documentary. If you go to popular forums like Hallyu8 and Allkpop, u will find that most fans there have this image of S. Korea being controlled by corrupt cooperations that hold the country in the grip of dictatorship. there is also this belief that most kpop idols are obsessed with plastic surgery which ultimately is encouraging S. Korean teens to do it more. not to mention their belief in the corruption of the kpop business and idols' hidden scandals.

I have to admit though that there is a lot of double standards going on here. Like you said, its a norm to see Hollywood and western celebrities getting plastic surgery yet within the international kpop fandom, this matter is always being used as a way of insulting idols and korean celebrities. same thing applies to matters involving scandals and whatnot.

I personally disagree with the use of plastic surgery unless the person has some major deformation, but I don't think its fair how the documentary is editing this topic in a way that makes it seem like its a completely strange and unheard of practice in the Western world. I do agree with u that its worrisome hearing of Asian kpop fans travelling all the way to korea to have plastic surgery done on their faces in a way that makes them resemble their fav celebrities.

I don't believe in the notion of "perfection" or "perfect looks". We are all created in different ways, and each is unique and beautiful in their own way. however, its sad that most pple around us are unable to see this.

I also didn't buy what that barber guy was saying about how "ashamed" he is of the fashion statements made by kpop idols across the world. the leather jacket he was wearing himself were very similar to those worn by BigBang, Epik High, Shinee, MBALQ, BAP, EXO, amongst many others.

The boys from EXO were wearing almost identical types of jackets to the one the barber owned in their MAMA mv.

if hes complaining about their taste in fashion then hes pretty much also complaining about his own taste in fashion.

in either case, thank you again for ur response. Im really glad that we have you to give us a more concrete and realistic image of S. Korea than the one being portrayed by various western sources.

sarah, I've never been to those Hallyu forums but it's a shame many international K-pop fans believe everything they see in that documentary. I I need to clarify a few things about this image of South Korea those Hallyu8 or Allkpop users have, though.

1. About S. Korea being controlled by corrupt cooperations that hold the country in the grip of dictatorship: Sadly, it's true. I'm not saying that Korea lives under dictatorship now but since the nation's current President assumed office, its democracy has been rolling back to the 70's. Today's Hallyu is the hard-earned fruit of democracy that was stabilized and blossomed for the past decade (1998~2008). But without freedom of expression, speech, and thought, there's no place for the creative minds and spirits and any society with such censorship and constrictions on expression are destructive to the creative endeavors. And no wonder, as the current South Korean government is corrupt, its major corporations are corrupt with probably the greatest power ever.

2. About most K-pop idols obsessed with plastic surgery: Some are in fact plastic beauties while others are natural beauties but again, "some" and "others" here refer to the celebrities in all parts of the world. And I think celebs with plastic surgery are encouraging "some" of the teens around the world to do it more. Others, like my nieces, on the other hand, couldn't care less about it.

3. About the corruption of the kpop business and idols' hidden scandals: It's called the dark side of show business, again, in all parts of the world. For example, every show business has the term called "casting couch." (Hollywood Casting Couch) Thus, even in the K-pop business, some of the small agencies or relative newcomers to the industry are corrupt and some of the stars/trainees who are signed to such agencies are being exploited. On the other hand, there are still plenty of healthy agencies, like the Big Three (YG, SM, and JYP), that really take good care of their stars/trainees. And I'm positive that good agencies still outnumber the bad.

I totally agree, and thank you again for your clarification. I think the problem with most international kpop fans is that they tend to allow their wild imagination to run away with snips of info they hear here and there. This is most likely due to how young those fans are, and their inability to control their thought process.

btw if you don't mind, could u please expand on this:

"Today's Hallyu is the hard-earned fruit of democracy that was stabilized and blossomed for the past decade (1998~2008). But without freedom of expression, speech, and thought, there's no place for the creative minds and spirits and any society with such censorship and constrictions on expression are destructive to the creative endeavours."

could you give an example of where censorship has impacted the freedom of expression in current S. Korea?

sarah, for example, BEAST’s “On Rainy Days,” Jay Parks’ “Don't Let Go” and Psy’s “Right Now” were rated NC-19 (Korean age, NC-17/18 in the US) because of the word “drink” in their lyrics. Ridiculously enough, Psy’s “Right Now” is now rated G only because he’s now world famous and they wanted to help him promote his song in the world market with ease. The standards of the censorship are so inconsistent, arbitrary, and unfair. Besides, there’s also secret online censorship in South Korea. I want you to read this EFF article written by Jillian York and Rainey Reitman.

But the thing worse than any type of censorship is that the government depriving the governed of their jobs:

“There are less obvious, but no less effective, ways of coercively influencing the expression of consent. A threat, for example, to deprive the governed of their jobs or means of livelihood, by a group which has the power to do so, would undermine a democracy even if its name were retained. In fact, every overt form of economic pressure, since it is experienced directly by the individual and since so many other phases of his life are dependent upon economic security, is an overt challenge to democracy.” (Sidney Hook)

Until five years ago, South Korean artists could write songs about anything. They could even mock the nation’s president. As you already know, even TVXQ sang a social satire at that time. But not anymore. Why? If they do it today, they will probably lose their job. How? Broadcast networks like KBS and MBC will not air their songs or book them to perform on any of their shows ‘cause the networks’ bosses wouldn’t like it ‘cause they were directly appointed by the current president. Unlike in the US, TV shows are the main source to promote the songs, so if the artists are not welcome on their shows, they will have a really hard time promoting their songs. Consequently, the singers will end up singing the same old, same old love songs ‘cause they are safe. And that’s exactly why I worry about the future of Hallyu. For more details, please read my April blog post at http://mydearkorea.blogspot.com/2012/04/korean-rock-ybs-blue-whale-supports.html.